The FiveStar Universe
by aroramage
Summary: A mysterious villain unites five worlds together in order to take over the multiverse. Now Mario, Sonic, Link, and Spyro, brought together by fate, must stop him before an ancient prophecy comes true. Will they save the world once more, or perish with it?
1. Prologue

**aroramage presents:**

**The 5 Star Universe **

**Part I: Age of Darkness**

**Act 1: How it All Began**

Chapter 1: The Beginning

In a far away land, where humans and various creatures roam about, there lived in a tall dark and perilous castle an evil king. His spiked green shell, his flaming red hair, his devilish horns, his black spikey bracelets - these symbols showed others his influence over the other bipedal turtles of the land. This monstrosity paced about his throne room, pondering how to perform his latest scheme of robbing the neighboring kingdom of its fair princess once more when one of his minions, a small brown mushroom with feet, came running in with news to his villainous overlord.

"King Bowser, Your Broodingness," announced the tiny creature, "a visitor has arrived."

"What? I didn't send for anybody! What does he look like?" King Bowser demanded.

"He appears to be clothed entirely in black, Your Demandingness," the young timid minion replied meekly.

"Really?" Bowser muttered. "Odd. I didn't ask for anyone..."

"Perhaps he is a spy attempt?" the tiny helper thought. "An infiltration tactic used by an enemy of His Mightiness?"

"I have only one enemy...Mario..."

Bowser shuddered from mentioning the name of the Mushroom Kingdom's savior. Mario was Bowser's eternal rival in power, and over the years the two had fought each other countless times; each time Bowser would kidnap the fair princess, Mario was always there to protect her, to defend her, to save her from his clutches. What made it worse was that he owed Mario for several occasions. Saving him from being possessed by a witch and an alien princess, not to mention assisting him in taking down other enemies of the kingdom. Owing a debt to Mario was something Bowser loathed even more than the portly plumber himself.

After a pause of reminiscence, Bowser turned to the minion. "Well, Goomba? What was his name? Who did he say he was?"

"He called himself..." the Goomba began but found he wasn't sure to complete the sentence.

"Well? What did he call himself?" Bowser growled, his patience draining quickly. "Answer me!"

"He said he was...The Dark Stranger."

Bowser's sinister grin appeared upon his gruesome face, and he threw back his head and laughed triumphantly. Not any longer than the day before, after yet another foiled kidnapping of the princess thanks to Mario, a letter came from someone called The Dark Stranger. According to his letter, he was some interdimensional villain who had caused chaos throughout the worlds by assisting other evil villains with their plans, whether it was simple world domination tactics to end of the world prophecies, from ancient chants that summoned legions of the undead to simple tricks of hypnosis. And what was most mysterious of all about the Stranger was his absence - he never seemed to be present at any time during the execution of these plans. Despite this, Bowser seemed to have faith and was keenly interested by The Dark Stranger's "credentials," and so accepted his invitation to help him with his plans on kidnapping the princess once again - and possibly keep Mario out for good!

"Well, let's not keep him waiting!" Bowser roared. "Bring him in!"

The Goomba, startled at his master's booming voice, immediately scurried out of the throne room and informed the other henchmen to let down the drawbridge. The clanking of the metal chains against the wheel echoed throughout the castle chambers and into the throne room until finally a dull thud indicating the drawbridge was lowered reverberated as well. The sound of footsteps could be heard even from within the throne room, until finally a light tapping came from the grand doors.

"Come in!" Bowser called out, and in response the doors pulled back wide, revealing an elegant man in black.

Everything about him was black - his shirt, his pants, a cape he wore behind him, the shined boots on his feet, a bandana shrouding his nose and mouth, goggles covering his eyes, even gloves covered his hands. A lone black fedora was perched upon his head, a black feather poking out at a curious angle. Hardly any of his skin was visible, and for what was visible, it appeared to be whiter than all of the rest of him. The henchmen near him seemed to be cowering, both in awe at this man's presence and in terror at what he could do.

"King Bowser of the Koopas, I presume?" the man asked, a gentleman's tone escaping his covered lips.

"Hehe, that would be me," Bowser answered, smiling smugly at his new arrival. He reached out to shake The Dark Stranger's hand.

"The pleasure's all mine," The Dark Stranger replied, grasping firmly on his newfound associate's reptilian hand and shaking it before releasing and respectably bowing before him. "I'm sure you've read through the invitation and are aware of my reason for joining in your company's grace, yes?"

"Of course," Bowser said, "although I kind of skimmed it too. Something about the ultimate plan, security of the princess, victory will be mine and such."

"Yes," The Dark Stranger said, "something very much like that. You see, Lord Bowser, I am in need of your services much more so than you are of mine."

"Is that so?" Bowser asked. "What, running out of ideas? Come to talk to a master planner?"

"Oh don't worry about the details," The Dark Stranger replied. "I've already got the plan set-up. All I need is something of yours."

"And then you'll tell me your plan for the capture of the princess?" Bowser asked.

The Dark Stranger chuckled. "Yes, something like that."

And with a swift motion of his hand, The Dark Stranger sent an invisible force that knocked Bowser back into the nearest wall, but instead of running through it, Bowser somehow became fused to the wall, his hands and feet bound by stone shackles, his waist wrapped about by a stone snake. Bowser attempted to escape from these binds but to no avail: he was trapped with no means of escape.

"Hey!" he cried as The Dark Stranger approached him. "What're you trying to pull?"

"Nothing more than what I've told you," The Dark Stranger said. "You're going to be apart of the ultimate plan. Sure, I stretched the truth to include your needs, but once again I address the notion that I'm in more need of what I want from you than you are of what you need from me."

"What are you saying?" Bowser asked. "And why are you doing this?"

"Oh, there's no need to get all tangled up in that mess, believe me," The Dark Stranger continued as his advance drew him closer to the wall. "After all, once I'm done with you, I won't need to worry about you much."

"Why?" Bowser demanded, struggling futilely against the binds. "What do you want from me?"

And though it was perhaps impossible for him to tell from physical movement, Bowser got the feeling that The Dark Stranger was smiling. "Simple, my dear Bowser: I want your soul!"

A swift hand motion, a cry of, "Dark Soul Snatcher!", and suddenly from The Dark Stranger's hand emerged a transparent shade of his hand, a grisly black energy that lunged at Bowser and tore at his chest violently and yet left no physical mark on him. It had attacked without a purpose, and yet when it came through it was clenched around something. Opening itself up, the hand revealed a shining purple-black orb of some kind. The Dark Stranger beckoned the hand forth into a jar he had pulled out from beneath his cape and sealed it within. Then he dispersed of his binding magic, causing the King of the Koopas to crash onto the floor.

"Now that that's out of the way," The Dark Stranger said, pulling on one of his gloves, "it's time to get this place ready. I'll need to do some refurbishing it seems, as well as gather the minions and investigate what it is I have to work with..."

Looking out a window, The Dark Stranger saw a large pink castle rather similar to the one he walked in now. But he knew what it was. And he knew what to do. And right now, there was only one thing he needed to do.

"...and so it begins..."


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Beginning of the Beginning

The day before...

Peach's Castle. A pink yet mighty castle that over the years withstood much abuse. Whether it was the ever-persistent Bowser's attempts to kidnap the princess or an invasion involving aliens from another world, from cannon fire to apocalyptic mayhem, the castle stood firm through it all. The princess of this fair castle lived peacefully with her mushroom-caped subjects, the Toads who live predominantly in the nearby Toad Town. The town itself was small, just like its people, and with threats coming from everywhere, there was very little room for protection. The poor peaceful Toads often found themselves trapped, captured, or beaten down by whatever threatened their monarch. But they knew that no matter what happens, there will always be one person whom they could all count on.

As it happened, there was a small house not far from the castle grounds and Toad Town that was the famous hero's dwelling place. Friends, admirers, and enemies would all be able to recognize his blue denim overalls overlapping his shoulders and covering his red shirt, his white gloves on his hands, his brown shoes cleaned save for some dirt from walking, his black mustache beneath his large round nose, and of course his red cap which had a white circle and a red M within the circle right on the front. Yes, anyone who's anyone could tell this was Mario, Mushroom Kingdom's great fighter, its hero and savior, and the princess's loved one.

What most people wouldn't recognize is Mario wearing an apron around his portly belly while wearing a chef's hat within the kitchen of his own home, cooking up his favorite meal for him and his brother. His brother was very much like Mario, except that as opposed to Mario's rounder shape, he was taller and lankier. He wore practically the same outfit, save for the fact that his shirt was green and he wore a green cap with a white circle and a green L. Just like his brother's. Not as iconic as his brother, there were still people who could recognize this fellow as Luigi, especially as he hung up clothes outside on the clothes line, just as he would about once a week.

It was a simple normal day until a Toad came scrambling up the pathway that led to the house, dashed right past Luigi, barged in through the doorway, and cried out, "Mario! Mario, come quick! The princess is in danger!"

Quickly, Mario turned off the stove, replaced his chef's hat with his old familiar cap, threw off the apron and ran out the door. Seeing Mario heading towards the castle, Luigi quickly grabbed a weighty rock and set it down on the laundry before dashing off after his brother...

* * *

Mobius, Mystic Ruins. Amidst the beautiful grassy plateau lies a workshop, with a large biplane seated at the beginning of a large runway. The breeze in the air causes the trees to sway a bit, until suddenly a blue flash speeds across them, blowing off several leaves. The leaves follow the blue wind up until it stops at the entrance to the shop, revealing itself to be a hedgehog. He taps his red shoe on the mat before entering into the shop. Inside the shop is a variety of tools and equipment used by the chief mechanic and local resident who at the moment was wiping off the counter top with a washcloth. The hedgehog approached the fox and smiled.

"Heya, Tails," he said, addressing the mechanist fox.

Looking up from his work, Tails smiled. "Hiya, Sonic!" he greeted back. "How goes the world?"

"Well, not being taken over by Dr. Eggman and not having animals being transformed into robots to go against me sure gets me off of my feet," Sonic replied, smirking. "Anyway, you wanted me to see something, right?

"Yeah, I thought you'd want to see it first," Tails said. "Chili dog?"

"Always," Sonic said, as Tails reached behind me, turned on a machine, and handed Sonic a fresh chili dog, along with a napkin.

"It should be in the back here," Tails said, and he led the way towards the garage. Sonic followed him into the dark room, upon which Tails turned on the lights revealing:

"I present to you the Jetacopter!" Tails presented.

"Uh, Tails, hey no offense," Sonic said, "but couldn't you have given it a better name than that?"

"Oh come on, give me some credit," Tails said. "I haven't had a whole lot of time to name it, what with the inventing it, the designing, the building, the introducing it to you."

"Of course. Just one other thing."

"What's that?"

"Why did you make it look like me?"

Indeed, the Jetacopter is painted blue like Sonic, its small wings wielding two white fist-esque engines, with ridges lining down its spine just like Sonic. Red wheels extended from the bottom, mimicking Sonic's sneakers down to the detail including the white stripe in the middle. If Sonic were ever transformed into a turbo-charged helicopter, this was what he'd look like.

"Eh, I figured why not," Tails said.

"Your genius knows no bounds, eh?" Sonic asked jokingly.

Suddenly, the door to the garage opened up, and a red echidna dashed in on squared soles, his spiked hands waving in the air with his dreadlocks. The duo looked upon this new arrival, who seemed a little winded.

"What's a matter, Knuckles?" Sonic asked. "Is guarding the Master Emerald starting to take its toll?"

"Can it, Sonic," Knuckles retorted. "I'm only here because Amy wouldn't leave me alone to carry out my duty."

"Amy?" Tails asked. "What did she want?

"Who do you think she wants?" Knuckles countered, his patience seeming to draw thin. "She's on her way over her to get Sonic."

"You got called away from guard duty because of that?" Sonic smirked.

"Oh, don't you even start with me, Sonic! The moment Amy gets here, she's going to-"

"Sonic, where are you?"

A sweet voice filled the air, and the three tensed up at recognition of it. Soon enough, they knew that the stalking pink hedgehog would come waltzing through the door innocently looking for her self-proclaimed boyfriend at any moment, and when that happens...

"So what does Amy want?" Sonic asked Knuckles.

"Look, I don't really care. She just wouldn't stop bothering me about it until I found where you were," Knuckles answered.

"Come on, Sonic, you know I don't bite. Come out so I can show you what I made for you!"

"I don't know, should I hide or something?" Sonic asked.

"Just as long as it gets me back to Angel Island," Knuckles said.

"Ahh!"

Suddenly, Amy's shriek filled the air, and the trio immediately ran into the front of the shop.

"Are you alright, Amy?" Sonic asked before he realized that there wasn't a real reason to be too worried.

"Oh, there you are, Sonic!" Amy said. "Yeah, Shadow here just came out of nowhere and I got scared, that's all."

Sure enough, a black hedgehog was leaning on the door frame at the front. His red and white hoverskates began to walk his body over to the group.

"Oh, Shadow," Sonic said, "if you really wanted to see me, all you have to do is ask."

"Don't think I'm here for you, Sonic," Shadow said. "I just thought you'd oughta know about Eggman wrecking Central City at the moment."

"What? Why?" Tails asked quickly.

"Like I care enough to bother with it myself," Shadow dismissed.

"He must be up to his old tricks again," Sonic said.

"Then let's go teach him a lesson!" Tails said enthusiastically.

"I've been waiting all day to pound something," Knuckles grinned, punching his knuckles into his open hand.

"Then let's go!" Sonic said.

"To the Jetacopter!" Tails said loudly.

"The...what?" Shadow asked, but he wasn't answered as Amy grabbed and pulled him into the garage, following the others toward the Jetacopter, which proved to be more spacious than it appeared on the outside. Tails took control of the pilot's seat while Sonic sat next to him, with Knuckles, Amy, and Shadow sitting in the back, Knuckles eagerly awaiting their departure, Amy looking out the window to the inside of the garage, and Shadow now simply crossing his arms and muttering curses for his dumb luck.

"All systems up and operational," Tails said, checking through a routine procedure he himself performed numerous times.

Pressing a certain button, Tails activated the roof of the workshop to open up, revealing nothing but blue skies with some clouds floating by. The Jetacopter's propeller blades began to spin, causing everything within the workshop to stir crazily. Finally it lifted itself off the ground and rose up into the air above the opened section of roof, which closed as soon as they were clear of it. Tails maneuvered the Jetacopter over to the runway and far enough away from the Tornado to not cause any unintended damage to it.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen," Tails announced, "we're about to begin our departure for the maiden voyage of the Jetacopter! Please fasten your seatbelts and put your tray tables in the upright position during takeoff, and make sure to place all of your belongings underneath the seat in front of you. In case of emergencies, please note the-"

"Uh, Tails? Hey, not for nothing," Sonic interrupted, "but can we get a move on?"

"Oh, right, absolutely," Tails said. "I just always wanted to do that."

The Jetacopter landed smoothly on the runway before Tails pressed another button, ceasing the propellor's actions and engaging the engines. A distinct humming began as the turbines began to spin.

"Hang on!" Tails said before punching a big red button.

And just like that-

BOOM! ZOOOOOOOOOooooooooooommmmmm...

The Jetacopter's engines roared with intensity, propelling it and everyone on board through a startling acceleration into a stable velocity, sending the Jetacopter soaring through the skies towards Central City...

* * *

Hyrule, Hyrule Castle. The great land spanning miles of endless countryside, plagued every now and again by the evil king of darkness or some other dark entity. This was, however, yet another peaceful day filled with joy and merriment. The elvish swordsman clad in green was walking around the town, visiting with the local townsfolk who praised his valiant efforts to save the princess on numerous occasions in all sorts of situations. It did not matter where he had to go or what he had to do: he would do it in order to take down the dark king.

But for now, it was just a simple day in town. The swordsman simply wandered about, his sword resting in its sheath on his back beneath his shield. He was actually looking for something in the market to get the princess, a token of his affection for her. It's true that he had spent much of his time more recently guarding the princess from invasive maneuvers or even hostile takeovers, but now he just wanted to let her relax, take time off of her duties and spend some time with him, looking out over the plains and watching the sunset.

"I wonder what princesses do that keeps them occupied so often," he wondered to himself as he perused the local merchant's fresh stalk of vegetables from the fields.

"Anything I can help you with, young feller?" the merchant asked, curious as to the swordsman's expression.

"I don't think so," he replied. "Thanks anyway."

"Anytime," the merchant said as the swordsman turned away.

The swordsman walked away from the stand and, having had no real luck finding anything, headed back towards the castle.

"Maybe a simple flower will work," he thought to himself as he traveled the road back up to the castle itself. As he reached the top of the hill, he turned and looked out beyond the gate and the town below and looked over across the plains. For a moment, he could have sworn he could see Kokiri Forest, where he grew up for some time. It seems so strange, like he's grown up in so many places before.

"Must just be a feeling," he thought to himself before he continued back up to the castle, in which he now dwelled and called home.

Home. What a strange thought. A thought which was interrupted when a guardsman came rushing up to the swordsman, shouting out, "The princess is being attacked!"

There wasn't a moment's hesitation as the swordsman drew out his blade and rushed up to castle, the call from the guardsman who watched him run past going out, "Have no fear! Link is on the way!..."

* * *

The Dragon's Temple. To think it's only been so long since the Dark Master's end. Nothing could ruin it for the young purple dragon and his black dragon companion. They were flying about with a small dragonfly in the nearby swamp, happily chasing after it.

"I'm coming for ya, Sparx!" the purple dragon called out.

"Not if I get him first!" the black dragon responded.

"Like I'll let either of you guys catch me!" Sparx shouted back.

The trio flew about the temple, dodging rocks and trees and such, before finally flying back into the temple and resting.

"Whoo, boy," Sparx said, "I don't care if you guys can't catch me; you sure put up a good chase!"

"We'll get you eventually, Sparx," said the purple dragon. "Count on it!"

"Count on it? The way you were flying?" Sparx retorted. "Good luck, buddy!"

"It's good to see you three boding well."

The trio looked upon a bipedal cheetah clothed in a red hood with a set of bows and arrows upon his back. He leaned against a pillar nearby, simply admiring the happy trio.

"Hello, Hunter," the purple dragon said. "It's good to see you too."

"Yes, I would imagine so," Hunter replied. "Spyro, Cynder, if you two would come with me. The Guardians wish to see you for a moment."

"Why's that?" asked the purple dragon.

"Well, Spyro, frankly they wouldn't say," Hunter answered. "They apparently wanted to surprise you."

Spyro looked at Cynder and Sparx, who both simply nodded. Nodding back, Spyro began to follow Hunter to the room of the Guardians, who waited silently and eagerly for Spyro's entrance...

* * *

The Mario Bros. quickly dashed into the castle courtyard, finding a Toad lying on the ground before them. They approached the Toad with great haste.

"B...Bowser..." the Toad said, pointing towards the throne room before fainting. The brothers looked at each other, nodded, and charged into the throne room. Sure enough, there was the princess, lying against the throne room chair, and her assistant Toadsworth, an elderly Toad who served the princess since she was a baby, and of course the malady of the kingdom itself, Bowser, looking no less imposing than he ever did.

"Mario!" the princess called out, bringing Bowser's attention to the plumber duo.

"Mario!" he cried out. "Darn it! Why are you always messing up my plans with Peach? All I want is to kidnap her a little! Is that so wrong?"

"You won't get past us, Bowser!" Mario said, triumphantly pointing at Bowser.

"Us?" Bowser asked, looking around then found Luigi. "Oh, right, Green Stache is here too. Well, that doesn't matter! You two are both gonna take a pounding!"

BATTLE 1 START!

Mario Bros.  
Mario: 25 HP, 5 SP  
Luigi: 25 HP, 5 SP

Bowser's Team  
Bowser: 25 HP, 10 SP

Mario jumps on Bowser for 2 dge! Luigi jumps on Bowser for 1 dge! Bowser breathes fire at the Mario Bros., giving them 5 dge!

Mario Bros.  
Mario: 20 HP, 5 SP  
Luigi: 20 HP, 5 SP

Bowser's Team  
Bowser: 22 HP, 10 SP

"Good fellows!" Toadsworth calls out to the Mario Bros. "You must remember how to dodge attacks! It will most certainly come in handy!"

"Hey! We're battling here! No cheats!" Bowser shouts, shooting fire at Toadsworth, burning his mushroom cap and causing him to run off!

Mario jumps on Bowser for 2 dge! Luigi jumped on Bowser for 1 dge! Mario remembers how to dodge Bowser's flame and quickly tells Luigi!

"Oh, now you're gonna get it," Bowser shouts, and he breathes fire! The Mario Bros. dodge the attack!

Mario Bros.  
Mario: 20 HP, 5 SP  
Luigi: 20 HP, 5 SP

Bowser's Team  
Bowser: 19 HP, 10 SP

Mario uses the Firehand for 2 SP! He shoots a fireball at Bowser! Bowser takes 1 dge!

"Hahahaha! Like that would ever work! Or have you forgotten I live in fire?" Bowser calls out mockingly.

Luigi uses the Thunderhand for 2 SP! He shoots lightning at Bowser! Bowser takes CRITICAL 5 dge!

"...oh, I'll get you back for that," Bowser mutters. He gets angry and shoots out a Fireball Assault for 3 SP! The Mario Bros. take 8 dge!

Mario Bros.  
Mario: 12 HP, 3 SP  
Luigi: 12 HP, 3 SP

Bowser's Team  
Bowser: 13 HP, 7 SP

Mario jumps on Bowser for 2 dge! Luigi uses the Thunderhand for 2 SP! He shoots lightning at Bowser, giving him CRITICAL 5 dge! Bowser breathes out flames! The Mario Bros. dodge the attack!

Mario Bros.  
Mario: 12 HP, 3 SP  
Luigi: 12 HP, 1 SP

Bowser's Team  
Bowser: 6 HP, 7 SP

Mario sneaks under Bowser and uses 1 SP! He launches himself beneath Bowser and Super Jump Punches him! Bowser takes 7 dge! Bowser is KO'd!

END BATTLE 1!

Bowser lies on the ground for a moment before getting back up.

"Curse you, Mario," he says. "I'll get you for that. But don't think I won't take the princess with me!"

He reaches out to grab the princess when Luigi appears blocking his path!

"Hey! Greenie! Get out of my way!" Bowser shouts. Mario grabs his tail and begins to spin him in a circle!

"Hey! WHAt're yOU DOing thERE?" Bowser shouts. Mario then suddenly lets go, sending Bowser flying!

"And that's that," Mario declared.

* * *

The Jetacopter continued its travel over to Central City. The occupants were mainly eating peanuts that appeared from a special compartment Tails had apparently installed. They were flying out over a deserted area at that moment.

"You sure Eggman's not just going shopping for evil weapons and armaments like a normal crazy mechanist marauder?" Sonic asked Shadow, half-mockingly, half-curiously.

"Is there any particular reason Eggman would attack a city if he was just shopping?" Shadow retorted, his arms still crossed in front of him having not even bothered with the peanuts.

"Mmm, good point," Sonic acknowledged, munching a peanut. The trip took a turn of silence for a while after that. Then suddenly, a barrage of lasers began to bombard the field around them!

"Eggman! Evasive maneuvers, go!" Tails called out, engaging manual override. "Hang on tight and buckle up for safety!"

The shower of lasers rained down around the Jetacopter, with a couple of narrow misses every now and again! Dodging, ducking, weaving through the field was no easy task! Finally evading the ambush, the Jetacopter spun around and turned to face what appeared to be a massive half dome that seemed eerily familiar. Suddenly a voice came through loud and clear, laughing.

"Well, well, if it isn't my old friend, Sonic," the voice said. "And it looks like he's been turned into a robot for me!"

"Save it, Eggman," Sonic called out through the microphone. "We know you've been wrecking havoc on Central City!"

"What? Me? Wreck havoc? On Central City? Oh, perish the thought!" the voice bounced back. "Why would I do that? Oh, wait, you mean because of the lure of information that would lead me straight to you or the lure that would bring you to me?"

Everyone on board the Jetacopter looked at Shadow, who seemed mindlessly lost elsewhere and not really caring about the current situation.

"Is it true, Shadow? Did you really set us up?" Sonic asked.

"I heard one thing, and that's that Eggman was attacking Central City," Shadow replied. "I never said if it was true or false, mainly cause I didn't know or care."

"Oops! Did I tell Shadow something I shouldn't have?" the voice called back mockingly. "I'm so sorry! Allow me to make up for it...BY DESTROYING YOU ALL!"

VEHICLE BATTLE 1 START!

AN: Having some déjà vu? This is another world and the characters are facing their boss villain for the FIRST time in this story, so it only counts as the first. Also, this is a vehicle battle, which changes the rules a little bit. Just watch!

Jetacopter  
Jetacopter Sonic(JS): 200 HP

Eggman's Flying Fortress  
Eggman's Flying Fortress(EFF): 100 HP

"Tails," Sonic asked, "can you handle this?"

"Don't sweat it, Sonic," Tails replied cheerfully. "I've got a two-step combo attack that will take down that oversized hunk of scrap!"

Eggman's Flying Fortress activates a Force Field! The Force Field will last for 2 turns!

"...or not..."

The Jetacopter shoots a laser! The attack is deflected by the Force Field!

Jetacopter  
JS: 200 HP

Eggman's Flying Fortress  
EFF:100 HP (Force Field for 2 turns!)

Eggman's Flying Fortress shoots out a Laser Storm! The Jetacopter loses half of its health! The Jetacopter triggers a Force Field! The Force Field will last for 2 turns!

Jetacopter  
JS: 100 HP (Force Field for 2 turns!)

Eggman's Flying Fortress  
EFF:100 HP (Force Field for 1 turn!)

"Hahahahahahaha! You call that piece of junk a vehicle?" came Eggman's booming voice. "That thing has yet to make a dent in my mighty fortress! Get a load of this!"

Eggman's Flying Fortress charges a Giga Blast! By draining the remaining shield energy, it emits a supercharged blast of energy at the Jetacopter! The Jetacopter's Force Field deflects the blast but is weakened in the process! It'll only last for the remainder of this turn!

"That'll have to do," Tails said. "Get ready for some fireworks!"

The Jetacopter activates its rockets and charges at Eggman's Flying Fortress!

"What are you doing?" everyone cried out simultaneously, just as the Jetacopter crashed through Eggman's Flying Fortress, destroying the engine is the process! The Jetacopter escapes just as the fortress explodes!

END VEHICLE BATTLE 1!

"Well, that was close!" Knuckles said.

"Well, it was that or try and take it down the old fashioned way," Tails said. "Anyways, let's go find Eggman."

After hovering around for a bit, the Jetacopter finally lands next to Eggman's body, a parachute covering his bulky exterior. Eventually, Eggman recovered and saw that he was completely surrounded.

"Oh, hey there, Sonic," Eggman began. "Uh, well, listen, you didn't actually think that I would take over Central City, right? I mean, the thought is just so silly! In fact, this is all a misunderstanding, really! I didn't mean to mislead Shadow here of what I was doing where! I'm so sorry for what it is I've done! Please spare me!"

"What's a matter? We break your toys and now you've got no backup plan?" Sonic mocked, not noticing Eggman's sinister smile as the old doctor bowed low in his humble apology.

"Why, Sonic, I know you know me better than that...I always have a backup plan! Now, Junk-A-Tron, come forth!"

Suddenly Eggman leapt into the air and landed in the seat of what appeared to be a bunch of the cruiser's blown and wrecked parts assembled hastily into a robotic entity.

"Is this really what you've decided to come up with?" Sonic asked.

"Well, after all the time I spent installing this safe-proof backup plan, the designing of its core, the assembly parts necessary to reconstruct itself, and of course the timing of when I wanted to crush you," Eggman ranted, "I didn't really have enough time to give it the proper Eggman-touch!"

"What, giving it some kind of stupid nickname?"

"Okay, enough out of you, hedgehog! Time to crush you!"

BATTLE 1 START!

Sonic's Team  
Sonic: 25 HP, 5 SP  
Tails: 25 HP, 5 SP  
Knuckles: 25 HP, 5 SP  
Amy: 25 HP, 5 SP  
Shadow: 25 HP, 5 SP

Eggman's Team  
Eggman: 100 HP, 10 SP (inside Junk-A-Tron)  
Junk-A-Tron: 100 HP, 0 SP

Junk-A-Tron threw junk at the team! Sonic, Amy, and Shadow each took 3 dge!

"Hey! How dare you attack my boyfriend like that!" Amy yelled angrily!

"Everyone knows your not my girlfriend," Sonic muttered.

Amy furiously attacks the Junk-A-Tron with her Piko Piko Hammer! Junk-A-Tron breaks apart!

"Oh, come on! I just built that! Literally!" Eggman cried out, distressed.

"Don't tell me that's all your 'safe-proof backup plan' had in it," Sonic taunted.

"No matter," Eggman said. "I can handle this!"

Eggman uses Construct and creates Junk Armor!

"Bring it on!"

Sonic dashes into Eggman for 5 dge! Tails attacks Eggman for 3 dge! Knuckles punches Eggman for 5 dge! Shadow throws chaos energy at Eggman, giving him CRITICAL 20 dge!

Sonic's Team  
Sonic: 22 HP, 5 SP  
Tails: 25 HP, 5 SP  
Knuckles: 25 HP, 5 SP  
Amy: 22 HP, 5 SP  
Shadow: 22 HP, 5 SP

Eggman's Team  
Eggman (w/Junk Armor): 67 HP, 10 SP

Sonic dashes into Eggman for 7 dge! Eggman punches Knuckles for 5 dge! Amy attacks Eggman with her Piko Piko Hammer for 10 dge! Tails attacks Eggman for 3 dge! Knuckles punches Eggman for 5 dge! Shadow throws chaos energy at Eggman, giving him CRITICAL 20 dge!

Sonic's Team  
Sonic: 22 HP, 5 SP  
Tails: 23 HP, 5 SP  
Knuckles: 20 HP, 5 SP  
Amy: 20 HP, 5 SP  
Shadow: 22 HP, 5 SP

Eggman's Team  
Eggman (w/Junk Armor): 22 HP, 10 SP

Sonic dashes into Eggman for 6 dge! Eggman brings out a Junk Cannon! He blasts junk at the team for 7 dge each! Amy attacks Eggman with her Piko Piko Hammer for 9 dge! Tails attacks Eggman for 3 dge! Knuckles punches Eggman for 5 dge!

"No, no, NO!"

Eggman is KO'd!

END BATTLE 1!

"Piece of cake!" Sonic said.

"You'll pay for this, Sonic!" Eggman shouted out. "I'll be back! Count on it!"

And with that, Eggman fled the scene as the heroes boarded the Jetacopter once more and headed back to the workshop...

* * *

As Link charged into the castle, he took into account the shambles it appeared to be in. Guards on the ground, curtains ripped, candlestick stands lying on the ground: it was a mess. Link runs up to one particular guard and asks him what's happened.

"Moblins...in the castle," the guard said. "The princess...throne room..."

Quickly, Link charges into the throne room, and sure enough, the princess is surrounded by a squadron of Moblins. She uses her magical powers to fend off the few surrounding her while Link charges into the fray!

"Hey! It's the kid!" a Moblin shouted.

"Get him!" cried another.

BATTLE 1 START!

Link's Team  
Link: 25 HP, 10 SP

Moblins  
Moblin1: 15 HP, 0 SP  
Moblin2: 15 HP, 0 SP  
Moblin3: 15 HP, 0 SP

Link slashes at Moblin1 for 5 dge! The Moblins attack Link with spears! Link dodges 2 spears and blocks the third with his shield!

Link's Team  
Link: 25 HP, 10 SP

Moblins  
Moblin1: 10 HP, 0 SP  
Moblin2: 15 HP, 0 SP  
Moblin3: 15 HP, 0 SP

Link slashes at Moblin2 for 5 dge! The Moblins attack Link with spears! Link blocks two with his shield, but the third hits him for 2 dge!

Link's Team  
Link: 23 HP, 10 SP

Moblins  
Moblin1: 10 HP, 0 SP  
Moblin2: 10 HP, 0 SP  
Moblin3: 15 HP, 0 SP

Link slashes at Moblin3 for 5 dge! The Moblins attack Link with spears! Link manages to dodge all three!

Link's Team  
Link: 23 HP, 10 SP

Moblins  
Moblin1: 10 HP, 0 SP  
Moblin2: 10 HP, 0 SP  
Moblin3: 10 HP, 0 SP

Link uses a Spin Slash for 3 SP! He attacks all three Moblins for 7 dge each!The Moblins attack Link with spears! Link takes 2 spears for 7 dge and dodges the third!

Link's Team  
Link: 16 HP, 7 SP

Moblins  
Moblin1: 3 HP, 0 SP  
Moblin2: 3 HP, 0 SP  
Moblin3: 3 HP, 0 SP

Link uses a Spin Slash for 3 SP! He attacks all three Moblins for 6 dge each! The Moblins are defeated!

END BATTLE 1!

Link looks around at the other fallen Moblins and looks up towards the princess.

"Are you alright?" he asks.

"Yes, no need to worry about me," she replies, smiling confidently.

"We were fools to attack her like this," cries out a Moblin. "We must retreat!"

And with that, all the surviving Moblins ran out of the throne room, whimpering all the while...

* * *

Spyro, Cynder, Sparx, and Hunter all enter the renewed Dragon Temple and find the Guardians in the old grounds of the Dragon Dojo, now an open area with small walls surrounding it indicating its boundaries.

"So," Spyro asked, "what's going on?"

"That's a simple inquiry," replied a yellow dragon sporting a purple underbelly. "We have assessed in recent times a need for the both of you to undergo the process of strengthening and empowering yourselves should another threat overtake the world and threaten its complete and total annihilation."

"Uh, come again?" Sparx asked.

"We'll be training you to maintain your powers for future threats," a green dragon with brown spots simplified.

"Okay then," came Sparx's response.

"But with Malefor destroyed," Spyro noted, "there isn't a whole lot of anything to fend off. Not to mention there's no more Gaul either."

"True," said a icy blue dragon, "but we cannot take the risk of another incident happening that could cause catastrophe which would weather away our world into nothing."

"Well, alright, if you say so," Spyro said.

"Good," the green dragon responded. "Then let us begin."

BATTLE 1 START!

Spyro's Team  
Spyro: 25 HP, 15 SP  
Cynder: 25 HP, 15 SP

Guardians  
Volteer: 15 HP, 15 SP  
Cyril: 15 HP, 15 SP  
Terrador: 15 HP, 15 SP

Spyro rams into Volteer for 3 dge! Cynder rams into Cyril for 3 dge! Volteer shoots out lightning for 2 SP! Spyro takes 6 dge! Cyril breathes out an icy wind for 2 SP! Cynder takes 7 dge! Terrador causes the ground to quake for 2 SP! The dragons take 4 dge each!

Spyro's Team  
Spyro: 15 HP, 15 SP  
Cynder: 14 HP, 15 SP

Guardians  
Volteer: 12 HP, 13 SP  
Cyril: 12 HP, 13 SP  
Terrador: 15 HP, 13 SP

"Children," the green dragon Terrador says, "you cannot continue to fight like this and expect victory! You must utilize dodging tactics!"

Spyro breathes fire for 2 SP! He hits Cyril for CRITICAL 8 dge! Cynder creates a huge gust for 2 SP! She hits the Guardians for 6 dge each! Cyril is defeated! Volteer shoots out lightning for 2 SP! Spyro quickly dodges! Terrador causes the ground to quake for 2 SP! The team takes flight and avoids the attack!

"Now you're learning!" shouts Terrador.

Spyro's Team  
Spyro: 15 HP, 13 SP  
Cynder: 14 HP, 13 SP

Guardians  
Volteer: 6 HP, 11 SP  
Terrador: 9 HP, 11 SP

Spyro shoots out a fireball for 3 SP! Terrador takes 4 dge! Cynder creates a huge gust for 2 SP! She hits the Guardians for 6 dge each! The Guardians are beaten!

END BATTLE 1!

"Thus endeth the battle," Volteer says, kneeling to Spyro and Cynder.

"Very good job, for what it was," Cyril acknowledges. "Though I'm sure you can go further still."

"You both did well," Terrador says. "Never forget your training and your elements."


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Grand Fusion of the Worlds

And so were the fights won over by the heroes, their victories celebrated in each of their own ways. Mario and Luigi were thanked by the princess with a festival for defeating Bowser so many times; Sonic and his friends celebrated within the shop with some birthday cake, as it turned out to be Sonic's birthday; Link dined with the princess and finally gave her the gift he had searched for earlier, which became a flowery wreath he made himself; and Spyro's training session was simply celebrated in terms of a renewed match between him and Cynder on who could catch Sparx. Not one of them knew about what was to come, yet none could shake the ominous feeling within them all.

* * *

Two days later...

The throne room seemed so vast without its usual ruler on the throne. The Dark Stranger had taken it upon himself to eject Bowser from the castle and decided that the simplest place to put him was outside the castle. Wherever he went from there was none of his concern. The Dark Stranger had already gone and inspected the castle, noticing that most of the minions simply shrunk from him into the shadows of the corridors.

_That's certainly no way to treat their new ruler,_ he thought to himself one day as he passed a couple of Koopas, who quickly scurried down a corridor when they saw him inspecting the dungeons.

After the day of inspection, which took much longer than expected, The Dark Stranger decided it was best to retire for the night. He went to Bowser's bedroom, refashioned it into something smaller and more comfortable for himself, cast magical barriers to protect himself from any attempts of assassination due to disloyalty from any of the minions, and then finally simply went to bed in his clothes.

The next morning, The Dark Stranger awoke to a wonderfully bright day. Looking into the sun, he was surprised at what it appeared to be. Shrugging his shoulders, he stretched, refreshed his clothes so that they became clean, deactivated the barriers, and proceeded towards the throne room. Sitting on the throne, he mused over what to do while holding the jar that now served as a vessel for Bowser's soul.

"Hmm...well, what should I do first?" he asked himself once more. "Gather the henchmen? Have a feast? Take over the kingdom? Remodel this place? So much time, so little to mull over to do with it."

Finally, after musing himself some more, he decided it was best to gather the henchmen and assess what kind of assistance he had in order to do anything else around in this world. With a mere clap of his hands, he summoned up every single henchman in the castle to the throne room. Most of them were confused and startled by their sudden appearance in the hall until they realized the man at the throne had brought them here. Looking out over the crowd of minions, The Dark Stranger appears to frown beneath his bandana.

"Well, this is disappointing," he mutters to himself. Then he holds his hand up high with his index finger pointed to the sky. This draws the attention of all the minions at once.

"Be gone," he says, and then he brings down his finger, bringing down with it several bolts of lightning that strike each and every minion in the room. By the time it's over, there's no one else but The Dark Stranger in the room.

"Well, back to the old-fashioned drawing board then," The Dark Stranger says to himself, and from pure nothingness, he bends something that begins to take the form of a creature. Soon, it has pure white claws, blackened wings, a square head with a large jaw like a dinosaur's, a long think tail, a muscular and well-scaled body, and charred skin, giving the illusion of this creature emerging from the remains of a fire. The Dark Stranger is impressed with his handiwork, admiring his newly beloved servant.

"You sure are a wonderful creature, aren't you?" The Dark Stranger said, breathing into it life and giving it a new soul. "Now what should I call you?"

For a moment, he simply rubbed the creature's snout with his hand, which it nuzzled affectionately. Then, he decided, "I think I'll call your kind the Tygon, and you will be known as the First Tygon, a sign of your primordial status among all other Tygons."

The new creature nuzzled its affection in approval of its newly christened name. The Dark Stranger pulled out a slice of meat from his cape and fed it to the Tygon.

"Now then," he continued, "with this one dark soul, I'm a step towards reaching my goal, yet I'll need more than just this one if I'm going to go through with it. Oh, but what a pain it would be to traverse throughout the universes harvesting souls."

Thinking on this dilemma while the Tygon devoured the meat, The Dark Stranger thought hard about what to do. He even considered sending the Tygon out in search of more but decided against it; it was hardly worth the effort now, not to mention what would most beings think of a dragon-esque creature who had come to rob them of their soul. If only there was a way to combine the universes together.

_"Come on...it'll be fun!"_

_"I don't know...it seems kind of...dangerous!"_

_"Don't be silly...We'll be alright!"_

"What?"

The Dark Stranger turned and looked about, seeking the noise he seemed to hear. Nodding it off as nothing, he began to muse once more. But the thought drove into his head, and out of it burst a creative insight!

"I've got it!" The Dark Stranger said with a devilish grin.

Heading down a corridor, followed by his new most loyal servant, The Dark Stranger began to make ready the necessary actions for his newest scheme...

* * *

All seemed normal in the Mushroom Kingdom as Mario and Luigi went about their daily routine. It was odd not to hear from Bowser in the past couple of days; normally he would have a plan - even a crappy one - ready by now and would have gone through with it. Chalking it up to the idea of him perfecting this plan, the Mario Bros. relaxed and simply went about their business.

It was at exactly noon that something happened.

As Mario and Luigi had sat down to enjoy their lunch, a Toad ran in screaming, "Mario! Luigi! The princess! Emergency! Don't know what's happening! Come quick! Hurry!"

Without a moment's hesitation, the brothers ran off to the castle! The trip took a mere five minutes, and before anyone knew it, the brothers had arrived and were already scouring the gardens for any sign of the Koopa King. Finally, the princess arrived with her elderly assistant Toadsworth, and not a hair had been put out of place.

"What is it? Is Bowser here? Why hasn't he kidnapped you already?" Mario asked, a barrage of questions that seemed protocol to him but would have been overwhelming to anyone else.

"I'm fine," the princess replied. "It's just...well, about Bowser..."

Suddenly, Bowser dropped in from out of nowhere! But there was something different about him today. Was it the blonde pig-tailed wig he wore? The red blush brushed gently upon his cheeks? Or was it the rather effeminate pose he had taken before them all? At first, Mario and Luigi were shocked, then confused, and then finally they burst out laughing. This was nothing like the Bowser they knew, and the fact that this Bowser was "strutting his stuff" didn't help much either.

"Yessiree, fellas, Bowser is most certainly NOT himself."

The Mario Bros. managed to hold back their laughter to see Professor Elvin Gadd arrive on the scene.

"Egad! It's Professor E. Gadd!" Luigi said, still humored by Bowser.

"Thanks for the introduction, Luigi," the Professor replied, "but everyone knows who I am."

"Say, Gadd, what's up with Bowser?" Mario asked, drawing the attention back to Bowser.

"Well, to say the least, he's not evil," E. Gadd explained. "So now, he's just...well, like this!"

"Uh, guys? A little help here? Please?" Bowser had lunged at Luigi and was trying to give him an enormous special-case Koopa King hug. Bringing a remote out from his coat pocket, E. Gadd triggered a steel cage to drop out from nowhere and trap Bowser within the confines of it. Normally, the flimsy cage would hardly hold him back for anymore than two seconds, but instead the King cried and whimpered, "That's soooo not cool!

At that very moment, there appeared to be a tremor, then it turned into what felt like a massive earthquake! The occupants rocked within the rocking castle as the shockwave grew more intense until just as it reached its climax, it vanished!

"What in the world was that?" cried a distressed Toadsworth. No sooner had he finished then another Toad ran into the gardens.

"You guys! You guys! You've gotta come out here and SEE this!" he shouted. "It's nothing like we've ever seen!"

And so with top speed, Mario, Luigi, the princess, Toadsworth, and Prof. E. Gadd all ran out into the courtyard after the Toad. There, they found a strange group strewn across the courtyard, surrounded by several Toads who poked and prodded curiously.

As the entire castle gathered about the courtyard, the group began to wake up. The blue animal was the first, yawning and saying unenthusiastically, "Hey guys."

After this, the rest of the group began to stir. Aside from the blue creature were two other creatures identical to it, one pink and one black. Then there was another with two tails and a similar red creature nearby. As this cluster sorted themselves out, a human wearing green began to sit up, holding his head as if he'd had a headache. And in another part of the courtyard woke two dragons, one purple and the other black, from which several Toads backed away out of fear. Accompanying them was a small yellow glowing speck that seemed to be talking.

"Get back," it said, "back I say!"

The blue animal, who had been taking in his surroundings amidst all of this, rubbed his eyes and finally said, "Gee, what's with all the pink? Is this another one of my crazy dreams or something?"

Soon the others were fully awake and taking in the surroundings as well.

"Where are we?" asked the red creature.

"How did I get here?" the human asked.

"What happened?" asked the purple dragon.

Soon enough, every one of them looked around at each other. The group became tense, unsure of what to do. Slowly but surely, the human reached around for a hilt on his back, but the blue creature saw this and sped immediately toward him!

"Oh no you don't!" the blue creature cried as he charged at the swordsman! But he was knocked off-course by the swordsman's shield that was swiftly drawn in the nick of time! The blue animal flew into the air and stumbled upon impact with the ground, the human drawing out a sword while the dragons tensed up ready to fight.

"Wait! Don't fight!"

Turning to the source, the crowd found that the pink princess had held her hand up in the air to signal them to stop.

"Please," she begged, "we have no idea who you are or where you come from, but please don't fight now! Especially because it's not necessary."

The group looked at one another. Then finally, the dragons simply sat, the animals gathered, and the swordsman withdrew his sword, sheathing it onto his back.

"So I guess you're the ones who live here?" asked the blue creature.

"Yes," the princess replied. "I am Princess Peach, ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, and these are Mario and Luigi."

She indicated the plumbers respectively in red and green. Mario waved when his name was announced, and Luigi followed suit.

"Well, you can call me Sonic," the creature introduced enthusiastically pointing towards himself, "and these guys are my friends!"

"My name's Spyro, and this is Cynder," the purple dragon said, indicating himself and the black dragon.

"And I'm Sparx," the glow hovering about them said, flying about the duo.

"What about you?" Peach asked the other human. He seemed tense at first, looking about him in unfamiliar territory. There was an awkward moment as he shifted his feet, possibly deciding on whether or not to trust the rest of the group or not. In the end...

"Link," he said. "My name is Link."

"Well, it's very nice to meet you, Link," the princess replied, holding out her hand to him. Reluctantly, he shook it.

"My, my, what a spectacular gathering of individuals!"

Professor E. Gadd finally got around to looking at the guests, watching and observing and investigating each of the new arrivals and making comments such as, "Nice wings," or "This is some good material," and even, "I like your shoes." Eventually, he came to the princess's side, finished up some notes of his, and finally addressed the crowd of his own surmises.

"Well obviously you all aren't from around here," the professor began. "With no idea of where you came from, we can only do everything we can to assist you in your stay here while we figure out what has happened."

"I thought you already knew what happened," said the two-tailed fox.

"Ah yes, Tails," the professor noted. "I'm sorry to say that I only have a hunch as to what really happened. All I know is what we already know from here, and that is that you all have come from out of nowhere right after an earthquake."

"An earthquake? We had one back on Mobius!" Sonic added.

"Same here," Spyro responded.

"We had one as well," Link added.

"Interesting," E. Gadd said. "It seems we have all come together on the basis a single event which occurred simultaneously in different places."

"Well, Mobius isn't just a place; it's a world," Tails corrected.

"But to have something happen at the same time in what could be four different worlds," Sonic observed, "that would be-"

"A coincidence? Hardly," E. Gadd finished. "The likelihood of an earthquake of that magnitude happening in one place is slim, but to happen in four different places - even four other worlds - is just pure science fiction! The chances are slim at best."

"Then why did it happen at all?" Spyro asked.

"I'm chalking this one up to the forces of evil," Sparx muttered loudly.

"Well, that's a possibility," the professor said. "The only logical explanation for such an event is probably from the cause of something that is really really big. I mean on catastrophic proportions! The fact that we have all gathered here in the Mushroom Kingdom is no stroke of chance either; it must be because whoever has done this is within our world."

"So what, it's your fault?" Shadow asked accusingly, a bit of a shock as he hadn't said anything this entire time.

"Shadow, we can't blame them for what happened," Sonic said. "If they don't know about it, why would they do it? And even if they did do it, what motive would they have for withdrawing information from us?"

"Truthfully," E. Gadd interrupted, "we can say that no one within these walls performed an act of that magnitude. This action takes up an enormous amount of energy to perform, far beyond the capabilities of what any of us could have done."

"Still, it seems suspicious that we've all been transported here to this location," Cynder pointed out. "Why would we all arrive here?"

"I imagine that, assuming you are what I believe you to be," E. Gadd replied, "that due to the positive energies within each of us, you have simply been drawn here to this spot."

"Positive energy? What do you mean?" Tails asked curiously.

"Well, let's put it this way," E. Gadd said, bringing out a simple staff from his pocket. Placing it on the ground, he triggered a button and instantly an easel with drawing paper appeared. E. Gadd reached into his lab coat pocket and picked out a pen, and then he started drawing a diagram.

"Let's say you are a neutral person," E. Gadd explained drawing a stick figure with a plus over a minus where his face would be. "You're not necessarily good or evil. If you were to, say, give money to the poor or feed the hungry, you would be considered more good morally and gain positive energy."

He drew an arrow indicating money and food over to a sorry bunch of stick figures, then redirected the image with another arrow towards the people happy, indicating a plus over their heads, which was then given its own arrow pointing back to the person at the top. The professor then drew a similar image mirroring this chain on the other side, but replacing the happy people first and then money and food being taken from them to sad people and a minus sign over them with an arrow redirected back to the original person.

"Then if you were to do something morally wrong, like take away the food and money from those who need it, you would gain more negative energy," E. Gadd continued.

"So basically, cause we're good guys," Sonic summarized, "we were transported here."

"Yes," responded E. Gadd. "Now I suspect that the one conclusion that can be drawn from us all culminating together is that the worlds we come from have been fused together."

"You mean each of our worlds is now apart of some giant universe?" Spyro asked.

"Yessiree," answered E. Gadd. "I can easily tell you that, should this be the right conclusion, that none of us could have done it. As I said before, it takes an enormous amount of energy to fuse worlds together, but in order to do that a lot of negative energy must be around first so that the worlds can be broken apart and then fused together. That is why the earthquakes were prevalent in each of our worlds."

"So now we're on some giant super-planet?" Sonic asked.

"Probably," E. Gadd replied. "I know that none of us could have done it not only due to our positive energies, but also because none of us are really magicians. You could say magic isn't our forte."

"Your...what?" Sparx asked.

"Their strong suit, or their strength," Tails answered.

"Well at least things can't get any weirder," Sonic said. Just as he said it, out of nowhere the good-Bowser dropped in from out of nowhere.

"Hi, everybody!" he shouts cheerfully.

"I seem to have spoken too soon," Sonic muttered. Quickly, though, E. Gadd pulled out his remote, pressed a button, and dropped a steel cage on Bowser once more.

"Why are you so mean to me?" Bowser cried, holding the bars of the cage once more.

"So who's this? Your pet?" Sonic asked, smirking at this delightful distraction.

"Actually, this is - or rather was - the great enemy of our kingdom, Bowser," E. Gadd replied. "He's been trying for years to get his hands on the princess, and though he's done so successfully, the Mario Bros. have alway been there to stop him and foil his plans."

"Not exactly the most villainous character if you ask me," Shadow muttered.

"What happened to him?" Link asked curiously.

"Well, he seems to be missing part of himself," E. Gadd answered.

"What do you mean?" Spyro asked.

E. Gadd turned to the heroes and simply said, "He doesn't have what every villain should have: a dark soul."


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Legend

"A dark soul?" asked Mario, now curious as to what E. Gadd referred to.

"Well, it's a long story," E. Gadd said. "The thing is, this goes way back to ancient times and even to an ancient legend I once read in a book. I can do my best to explain the dark souls, but if my theory is correct, this goes way beyond that."

"Please," Link said. "Tell us the story."

"The more we know," Tails added, "the more we can help."

"Alrighty, then," E. Gadd said, "but be prepared, because there's a lot to this.

"Now I've heard a lot of things relating to the dark soul, but its origin begins at the dawn of time. It was said that when the creators of long ago made the universe, they divided it into two separate factions that would divide every living thing amongst themselves. There are a number of different parts to the universe as we know, but the actions of most living creatures can divided into these two factions: Light and Dark.

"Even our very souls are split between these two factions. As I mentioned earlier, our positive and negative energies are based off of our actions. Those same actions dictate whether or not our souls are of the light or the dark. Because of this, the soul can be categorized into three different factions; just as energy can be divided into positive, negative, and neutral energy, so too can the soul be categorized as such.

"Now your average Joe is most likely going to be a Neutral Soul, not one of great good or evil. He can make good decisions and bad decisions, and there is no determinant onto what his true nature is. Most people have a neutral soul, but there are few others with different souls: Light and Dark Souls.

"Now a heroic person like Mario here would have a Light Soul, based off the positive energy he gains from performing good deeds, heroic deeds. His virtuous acts have given him a sort of purity amongst souls, leaving whatever may be of his dark soul shriveled and starved."

"So wait, he still has a dark soul?" Sonic asked.

"All living things have a Light and Dark Soul," E. Gadd answered. "The determining factor of which is more dominant depends on the acts of the person. Being a hero would give someone more of a Light Soul, while being a villain - like Bowser - would give someone a stronger Dark Soul."

"So Bowser has a light soul too?" Spyro asked.

"Yep," E. Gadd replied. "If Bowser didn't have a Light Soul, then he would be just a walking shell, kinda like a zombie. That's why the soul is important: without it, there's nothing left."

"Kinda like if you were to lose your mind?" Tails asked.

"Well, sort of," E. Gadd shrugged. "If you were to lose your mind, you would still be able to control your actions and such. It's more like losing a will to do anything; if you can't will yourself to do something, then you can't do it. That's what the soul helps with, you could say.

"Now acts of evil are not always obvious to tell like the stealing one. Sometimes people justify their actions based on the situation they are in. For example, a person may steal food because they can't afford it themselves, and this attracts negative energy, corrupting their soul into a darker form. That's where people can get real messed up. Energy doesn't have an understanding of people's situations; if it's wrong, it's wrong even when justified.

"Now there are very particular acts that attract more positive and negative energy then any other actions. This is because they aren't just a defined action like killing someone or assisting in a surgery or giving money or stealing food; they're entire personalities all their own. There are seven each of positive and negative actions that fit into these categories. The seven positive actions are purity, temperance, charity, diligence, patience, kindness, and humility, and they are collectively known as the Seven Heavenly Virtues. Opposing them are the seven negative actions, known as the Seven Deadly Sins: gluttony, envy, lust, sloth, wrath, avarice, and pride. Each Sin is countered by a Virtue, which allows for balance within the soul and overall in the universe.

"Speaking of souls, being the embodiment of darkness within a person, the dark soul cannot be reached through physical means as with a sword or glove. Only an extremely powerful magical force can penetrate the cocoon of the physical form and enter the metaphysical hold where the soul resides. As I've mentioned before, Bowser was a villain and as such contained a very large dark soul. However, he appears to have enough of a light soul to keep control of his body. If he didn't, he would surely be, as I've said before, an empty shell, without a will to do anything but exist, which would lead to problems if a wandering spirit would just find his empty body and enter it."

"They can do that?" Link asked.

"Yep, full-blown body possession, the works," E. Gadd replied. "Now the only question left out of all of this is why take only the dark soul? Why not rid him of his soul entirely? And only one thing comes to mind."

"The legend," Mario said.

"You betcha," E. Gadd said enthusiastically. "Now it's a curious one that I think could explain what's going on."

The professor rummaged once more through his coat and brought out a small dual-screened device upon which he tapped the bottom screen a couple of times with a stylus. Then he brought out a connector cable and plugged it into the easel and then pressed a button on the device. Then the paper on the easel begins to draw out lines on its own that form various shapes. There soon appeared an image of a flaming fist, a blue sphere, a purple dragon silhouette, a sword surrounded by three triangles, and a hand with a curious stem growing from it, blooming into an eye. The other images surrounded this image, and in turn all surrounded and pointed towards an image of a silhouette of a star. Beneath this drawing appeared a description:

Five worlds combine, five heroes unite  
A darkest foe appears  
Unity in the face of the end  
Defeats the ultimate enemy

"This legend speaks of a predicament not unlike our own," E. Gadd explained. "There are a number of us united together under mysterious circumstances, and the fact that an earthquake is the beginning of all of this can only represent the grand fusion of the worlds themselves."

"So you think each of us is represented in this?" Sonic asked.

"It's possible," Tails noted. "That blue blur could easily represent you in motion."

"And the purple dragon must represent me," Spyro added.

"That symbol looks like the Triforce of my world," Link said pointing towards the sword and triangles.

"And that one looks like my hand," Mario said, "when I have a fireball active."

"Yessiree, this represents each one of us," E. Gadd confirmed.

"Hold on," spoke out the red echidna who had sat for a long time silent until that very moment. "What about that one in the middle?"

"Mmm, yes, what about the one in the middle?" E. Gadd probed. "It seems we are one prophesied hero short."

"But what about all that 'positive energy bringing us together' stuff you thought of earlier?" Sonic asked. "Unless..."

"In this case, only two possibilities exist," E. Gadd said. "That is, that whoever the fifth hero is has been separated from us due to a larger dark soul, or that the fifth is the one who brought us here to begin with!"


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: An Invitation

Following this last point, there was a long pause among the heroes.

"So then, whoever did this might even be the fifth hero?" Link asked perplexed.

"And we're all apart of some ancient prophecy involving...stuff?" Sonic added on.

"Not just stuff, sonny," E. Gadd replied. "End of the world, stuff. Basically, if you fellers don't unite together-"

"Then the world will come to an end," Mario concluded.

At that moment, there came a load roar from beyond the outer wall. Many of the Toads shuttered and fled the scene as quick as they could. The heroes were simply stunned.

"What was that?" Knuckles asked.

"Look there! In the sky!" Link shouted pointing upwards.

Sure enough, a great distance away in the sky, a speck could be seen flying straight towards the castle. As it grew, its appearance became more apparent, revealing itself as a giant flying dragon carrying a small parcel bag on its side, a strap visible crossing over its chest up towards its shoulder. As it came closer, loose bits of dirt were swept up by the winds created from its beating wings. Finally, the creature landed firmly on the ground, looking out across the gathered. Finally, it reached into its bag and brought out a small grey machine shaped like a card with a camera clearly visible.

"Curious," E. Gadd noted, "a hologram projector?"

The creature nodded its head understandingly and placed the device upon the ground, pressing a single button. Soon enough, the camera brought out a holographic projection of a man dressed from head to toe in black.

"Greetings, good residents of the Mushroom Kingdom," the man said. "I see the message has arrived safely."

Link drew out his sword and pointed it straight at the projection, calling out, "Identify yourself!"

"Whoa, easy there," the man said, holding up his hands, "I'm just a hologram here."

"It's okay, Link," Tails said, "it's just a communication device."

Uncertainty spread across Link's face once more before he sheathed his sword once more.

"Much better," the man said. "Now as for me..." The hologram bowed deeply, removing its hat and revealing a covered head.

"You may call me The Dark Stranger," he introduced. "I can see that you've caught up with my handiwork."

"So you're the one behind Bowser being...weirder than usual," Luigi said.

"Weirder? I thought I was doing you all a favor," The Dark Stranger replied. "After all, he's not as evil as he used to be."

"Yeah, he's just...worse," Luigi muttered.

"That's not very nice to talk about me in front of me!" Bowser wept from his cage nearby.

"Well, at least he's not kidnapping people," The Dark Stranger shrugged. "But obviously that's not why this message has been delivered. No, I thought I would invite you all to a lovely banquet I'm holding over in my new base of operations."

An envelope popped out of a slot in the side of the machine.

"It's simple," The Dark Stranger continued, "all you have to do is get the envelope away from my Messenger Tygon here, and you'll be invited to the banquet. Tygon, you will destroy these heroes with Bowser's assistance."

"What? But I don't want to destroy anybody!" Bowser called out from his cage. "I mean, yeah, they're a bunch of jerks and all, but I wouldn't want to hurt them!"

"But Bowser," The Dark Stranger said, directing his attention towards him, "you won't have a choice."

At that moment, the Messenger Tygon who nobody had been paying attention to swiftly brought out a small dart gun and shot out a dart at Bowser with remarkable accuracy. The dart itself appeared to be a needle with a feather on the back, one which began to inject a vile liquid into Bowser the moment it struck. The effects were immediate: Bowser's shocked expression changed into anger, his eyes became red, and in his sudden rage he tore the cage apart, tearing off the wig and melting away the makeup as he roared and breathed flames above the group.

"Well, THAT'S different," Sonic yelled over the roar of flames.

"Now remember," The Dark Stranger chimed, "whoever survives best pick up the envelope and come to my banquet! It's going to be so much fun. And if you don't, then farewell, and have fun in the Underwhere!"

And then the image of The Dark Stranger blanked off.

"What exactly is the Underwhere?" Sparx asked.

"Now probably isn't the best time for that, young feller," E. Gadd quickly responded as he fled the scene alongside the princess, Toadsworth, and all the other Toads.

Messenger Tygon and Bowser attack!

Battle 2 Start!

Heroes  
Mario: 28 HP, 7 SP  
Sonic: 29 HP, 8 SP  
Link: 27 HP, 13 SP  
Spyro: 28 HP, 16 SP

Enemies  
Messenger Tygon: 100 HP, 50 SP  
Bowser: 100 HP, 40 SP

AN: There will be only 4 heroes out at one time during a fight; this also means up to 4 enemies will be out at a time too.

Mario punches Bowser for 5 dge! Sonic uses Dash Attack for 2 SP! He runs about the enemies and attacks them swiftly multiple times! Messenger Tygon takes 5, 7, and 6 dge! Bowser takes 7, 8, and 5 dge! Link uses Spin Slash for 3 SP! Messenger Tygon and Bowser take 10 dge each! Spyro charged at Bowser for 7 dge! Bowser uses Flame Breath!

"Quick! Jump up!" Mario called out!

Everyone jumps and dodges the attack! Messenger Tygon uses Flame Breath! Mario takes 5 dge! Sonic takes 7 dge! Link dodged the attack! Spyro takes 4 dge!

Heroes  
Mario: 23 HP, 7 SP  
Sonic: 22 HP, 6 SP  
Link: 27 HP, 10 SP  
Spyro: 24 HP, 16 SP

Enemies  
Messenger Tygon: 72 HP, 50 SP  
Bowser: 58 HP, 40 SP

Mario uses Firehand on Messenger Tygon for 2 SP! Messenger Tygon takes 4 dge! Sonic uses Dash Attack for 2 SP! Messenger Tygon takes 5 dge! Bowser takes 7 dge! Link uses Wind Slasher for 2 SP! He slashes at Messenger Tygon and Bowser with tremendous force, causing a great gust of wind to slash at them! Messenger Tygon takes 12 dge! Bowser takes 13 dge! Spyro charges Messenger Tygon for 7 dge! Messenger Tygon pulls out a mushroom from his delivery sack and gives it to Bowser! Bowser recovers 11 HP! Bowser breathes out flames! Mario takes 4 dge! Sonic dodges the attack! Link takes 6 dge! Spyro takes 3 dge!

Heroes  
Mario: 19 HP, 5 SP  
Sonic: 22 HP, 4 SP  
Link: 21 HP, 8 SP  
Spyro: 21 HP, 16 SP

Enemies  
Messenger Tygon: 44 HP, 50 SP  
Bowser: 49 HP, 40 SP

Mario punches Bowser for 5 dge! Sonic attacks Messenger Tygon for 4 dge! Link slashes Bowser for CRITICAL 20 dge! Spyro shoots a Fire Blast at Messenger Tygon for 3 SP! Messenger Tygon takes 5 dge! Messenger Tygon pulls out a mushroom from the bag and eats it! Messenger Tygon recovers 15 HP! Bowser claws at Sonic! Sonic dodges the attack!

Heroes  
Mario: 19 HP, 5 SP  
Sonic: 22 HP, 4 SP  
Link: 21 HP, 8 SP  
Spyro: 21 HP, 13 SP

Enemies  
Messenger Tygon: 50 HP, 50 SP  
Bowser: 24 HP, 40 SP

Mario punches Messenger Tygon for 7 dge! Sonic attacks Messenger Tygon for 6 dge! Link attacks Messenger Tygon for 9 dge! Spyro changes elements from Fire to Ice!

"Time to cool you off!" Spyro cries.

Spyro uses Ice Blast for 3 SP! He breathes out an icy breath chilling Messenger Tygon and hitting him for 11 dge! Messenger Tygon uses Blaze Blast for 4 SP! He engulfs himself in an inferno and beats his wings, sending fireballs at the party! The heroes take 10 dge each! Bowser breathes out flames! The heroes dodge the attack!

Heroes  
Mario: 9 HP, 5 SP  
Sonic: 12 HP, 4 SP  
Link: 11 HP, 8 SP  
Spyro: 11 HP, 10 SP

Enemies  
Messenger Tygon: 17 HP, 46 SP  
Bowser: 24 HP, 40 SP

Mario uses Super Jump Punch for 1 SP! He sneaks beneath Bowser and jumps up, punching him for 9 dge! Sonic uses Dash Attack for 2 SP! Messenger Tygon takes 8 and 6 dge! Bowser takes 7 and 7 dge! Link attacks Bowser for 7 dge! Bowser is KO'd! Spyro charges at Messenger Tygon for 8 dge! Messenger Tygon is KO'd!

END BATTLE 2!

The fallen lay on the ground for a few moments while the heroes gathered around them. E. Gadd returned to the area and cautiously approached the Tygon.

"So this is what he called a Tygon, eh?" E. Gadd muttered, poking around the creature. Suddenly, its eye opened wide and it threw E. Gadd a good distance as it took off for the skies once more, a trail of envelopes fluttering in its wake. The heroes watched as it disappeared over the horizon before turning their attention to the invitation.

"It says, 'You are invited to The Dark Stranger's Celebratory Banquet. Please come an hour or two before dinner and enjoy the celebrations,'" Mario read. "What an odd thing to do."

"I know. Bowser would never have invited us to his castle to enjoy ourselves unless there's poison or something in the food," Luigi commented.

"Do you guys know who this is?" Sonic asked, curious.

"No," Luigi answered. "We've never met anyone like this before. Sure, Mario's run into a couple of other baddies besides Bowser, but none of them have called themselves The Dark Stranger."

"Maybe he's the one we're looking for," Spyro said, which in turn caused the others to look at him. "I don't know who he is either, but whoever fused the worlds together tapped into powerful magic. Maybe he knows something about it, or better yet, he's the one who did it."

"That seems fair enough to assume," Link added. "He did just try and get rid of us. If he wasn't the one behind all of this, why try and dispose of us?"

"Good point," Sonic said. "I think we should 'attend' this so-called 'banquet'."

"What about Bowser?" Tails asked. "You sure we can just leave him like this?"

"Don't worry about him, young feller," E. Gadd chimed in, having recovered from being swept into the air a few moments before. "I'll take care of him. He'll be good as new with help from my state-of-the-art Regaddunator!"

"Re-whatcha-say-er?" Sonic asked, puzzled.

"It'll help Bowser recover from all the damage he's taken, pampering him to the maximum with relaxing and rejuvenating liquids," E. Gadd explained. "Course, after that, he'll just be a cheesy menace, but a cheesy menace back on his feet! Oh, and before I forget, could you fellers take this with you?"

E. Gadd reached into his pocket and pulled out a steel-grey electronic device not unlike the invitation. He handed the bizarre gadget to Mario, who looked intrigued by it.

"That's what I like to call my Creature-Gadd-Sort-ulator-dex," the professor exclaimed. "I also call it the C-Dex for short. It's a portable device that will allow you to record enemies you all fight on your no doubt epic journey across the lands."

"Well, sure we can carry it," Luigi said, "but why exactly do you want us to do that?"

"I'm curious as to what kind of creatures are in other universes," E. Gadd explained. "With the knowledge you gather from all those universes, I'll be able to advance my research far beyond that of any other scientist in the world - heck, even the universe!"

"Uh, okay," Luigi said, a little wary of E. Gadd's moment of insanity as he handed the device to Mario.

"Excellent! Well, good luck, fellers! Let me know how the banquet goes! And bring back some food!" E. Gadd said, and with that remark and several taps on the lower screen of his dual-screened device, he fork-lifted Bowser into the castle and disappeared.

"Well, I guess we're off to the castle then," Mario said.

"But where is the castle?" Sonic asked, just as Mario discovered the map attached to the invitation. The heroes browsed over the map, taking note of the star destination.

"It looks like it's where Bowser's castle is," Luigi said in astonishment. "What a coincidence!"

"I'm pretty sure that's far from the truth," Mario noted.

"Then to the former king's castle we go," Link said.

And so did their adventure begin. Mario, Sonic, Link, Spyro, and friends all headed down the pathway that would lead them to the Castle of The Dark Stranger...

END OF ACT 1


	6. Chapter 5

**Act 2: Discoveries  
**Chapter 5: The Banquet

After departing the castle grounds, the heroes begin to travel along a pathway that leads straight towards Bowser's Castle. Mario and Luigi are talking with the others, giving them details on the lay of the land and what they may find across it.

"So let me get this straight," Sonic said. "There are a number of blocks just floating around in mid-air waiting to be pounded from below? Just willy-nilly?"

"Yeah, they're really useful when you need them," Luigi explained. "Item blocks are usually distinguished by their question marks on the sides, while brick blocks are usually used as platforms."

"This place is really, really weird," Sonic muttered.

Link admired some of the foliage along the route, while Spyro flew through the trees above.

"This is quite astounding," Link said, picking a flower. "It reminds me so much of home. It's hard to believe I'm in another world altogether."

"I know what you mean," Spyro said, landing nearby. "The air feels so nice, it's like there's nothing wrong at all. It's almost unnatural."

"It's funny," Link muttered, smiling to himself. "I would normally have killed you with my sword on sight back there. I suppose shock got the better of me."

"Well, glad to hear that, then," Spyro replied uneasily. "Otherwise, we'd be down a key part of that prophecy."

"Which reminds me," Link continued, "what do you make of it all? This prophecy stuff?"

"I don't know what to make of it," Spyro replied. "Sometimes you stand up for what's right because there's a villain terrorizing the land, and sometimes fate forces you to play out the hero. Just something that comes more naturally to us, I suppose."

"Hmm," Link mused. A short distance from them, Sonic began to stretch his limbs.

"Walking really isn't my style, you know," he explained, performing his normal leg stretches. "I'd much more prefer to run there. Probably would be there and back before you guys even knew I was gone!"

"Are you really that fast?" Luigi asked.

"Wanna see how fast I am?" Sonic asked back.

"Alright, then, I'll race ya a little bit," Luigi challenged. "First one to the end of the road and back wins."

"You sure you don't want to give yourself a head start?" Sonic taunted.

"Alright, blue boy," Luigi mumbled, stretching his own limbs out, "prepare to get served."

"This oughta be good," the black hedgehog - who was introduced by Sonic as Shadow - mumbled to Knuckles.

"On your mark," Luigi began, "get set, and-"

"GO!" Sonic cried, dashing down the path at top speed. One moment he was right next to Luigi, the next he was nothing more than a blue blur. Luigi, in the meanwhile, was stunned for a moment, then simply stood up and walked next to Mario, his cap over his eyes.

"Remind me never to challenge any of these guys to a race," Luigi muttered.

Mario gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it," he said.

Meanwhile, further down the pathway were three small brown mushrooms with stubby legs searching through the bushes and around the tree trunks for an unseen item.

"It's gotta be around here somewhere," the first mushroom said, poking his head around a tree.

"Where did you say you dropped it again?" the second asked the third, who was simply trembling in place.

"I thought I heard something in the bushes," the third replied timidly. "Maybe I dropped it over there. Or along the path back to you guys."

"Seriously, we can't just go looking everywhere for it!" the first cried out in frustration, drawing his attention back to the third. "What in the world could you have possibly heard that would cause you to drop it anyway?"

Suddenly, a rushing wind rustled the bushes nearby. The third mushroom leapt into the air.

"THAT! THAT! SOMETHING LIKE THAT!" he cried out terrified.

"Whoa, whoa, calm down," the first said, "no need to get all jumpy."

"What happened?" the second asked, rushing back.

"Nothing, just the wind," the first replied, but not a moment later a blue streak of light rushed past the trio once again.

"Okay, that's not just the wind," the second said, noting the third mushroom's cowering in total fear. "What is it?"

"You don't think this place is haunted, do you?" the third asked meekly.

"Oh, please," the first replied, "that's just ridiculous."

"You call that blue nothing? That wind, nothing?" the second asked pointedly.

"Look, I'm just saying that this road isn't haunted by any Boos that we know of," the first explained, "and even if there were Boos, it's the middle of the afternoon; there's no way those Boos would even think of coming out any sooner than dusk."

The blur flashed by once more then once again!

"...although I've been wrong before," the first mumbled, a little timid as well.

"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" the third cried, charging back down the road and right into the blue blur's path. The third fell onto his face while the blue blur became a strange creature that flipped around in a somersault before landing near the base of a tree. The other mushrooms simply stared in amazement before noticing the rest of the heroes walking down the pathway.

"Hey, is that Mario there?" the first asked.

"I do believe it is!" the second answered.

"Well this can't be good," the first said. "If that blur was his doing, who knows what else he can do at this point?"

"He's never been able to do anything like that before," the second pointed out.

"Oh," the first snapped, "so maybe he isn't the one beating us to a pulp for the umpteenth time! Whoop-dee-freaking-doo!"

"Who're all those guys he's traveling with?" the second asked curiously.

"More trouble," the first replied. "I don't like this at all. We gotta get Gill, make like small trees, and leave!"

No sooner could the two put their plan into action then the heroes arrived on the scene. They found their comrade dusting himself off and found a strange creature lying face-down on the ground.

"Goombas?" Luigi wondered.

"So that's what they're called," Sonic mumbled as he joined the group.

"Back off, pal!" the first cried out, defending the fallen third. "Don't think we won't stop you!"

"Whoa whoa whoa! We're not gonna hurt you," Mario said quickly.

"Zip it, plumber boy!" the second cried out. "We don't know who you think you are, attacking us from a distance, but when we find what we're looking for and head back to Bowser's Castle, we'll-"

"Shh! They don't need to know that!" the first hushed his companion but a moment too late.

"Bowser's Castle? You're not minions of his, are you?" Mario asked curiously.

The Goombas looked around at each other before sighing and nodding their heads.

"Yeah, we're going back to the castle for that banquet thing," the first Goomba answered. "The problem is that no one gets in without an invitation, and our poor friend here just lost ours."

"But if you're Bowser's minions, what're you doing out here rather than serving the new guy?" Sonic asked.

"Because he kinda kicked us out," the first replied.

"With lightning," the second added.

The heroes looked at each other, taken aback by this last remark. Kicking people out was one thing; kicking them out with lightning was a whole other level all on its own.

"What happened to you guys?" Link continued, turning back to the Goombas.

"And on that note, what happened to Bowser?" Mario added.

And so the two Goombas explained the situation, from the moment The Dark Stranger appeared at the front door to the part where he stole Bowser's dark soul, and from there to the instant they were zapped by magical lightning that didn't fry them but instead teleported them to various parts of the Mushroom Kingdom, far out of his way. In the meantime, the third began to recover from his frozen state of shock and terror and stood up alongside the others, appearing a bit groggy and wobbly for the time being.

"It was by sheer luck that we found each other," the second Goomba finally concluded.

"That's a heck of a tale," Link remarked.

"You guys mentioned a letter," Sonic said. "This wouldn't happen to be it, would it?"

At this point, Sonic pulled out a black paper envelope.

"Whoa! Where did you find that?" the third Goomba asked.

"Well, as I was running around beating Luigi here in a race," Sonic explained, much to Luigi's chagrin, "I noticed something in the bushes at one point, so I sped back to check up on what it was, then I saw you guys and zoomed past both spots again and picked it up right before I ran into you there."

"Oh man, thanks!" the third said as he grabbed the envelope from Sonic with his mouth.

"You better not lose that on the way over there, got it?" the first said. "You lose it, and I'll KO you so fast, you'll still feel the pain in the Underwhere! Got it?"

"Um, myeah, gah i'," the third responded, his voice muffled by the envelope.

The first turned back to the heroes once more. "I don't think we can thank you guys enough for what you've done for us," he said. "Here, why don't you tag along with us to the castle? We happen to know of a shortcut to there that's not far from here."

"Well, alright," Mario said. "Lead the way."

And with that, the Goomba trio led the heroes off on a path towards a secret green pipe hidden in the brush of the forest. The third and second Goombas jumped in immediately while the first remained behind.

"Well, this is our super top secret warp pipe," the Goomba explained. "This should lead us straight over to Bowser's Castle. Course, we won't be inside of the castle, but we won't be very far away either."

"You sure this is safe? I mean, I understand you guys use these pipes to travel all over the place," Sonic said hesitantly, "but I mean, is it alright to go wandering the sewers here?"

"Oh just shut up and get in the pipe," Shadow scorned.

"Don't worry, it's fine," Luigi reassured Sonic. "There's nothing that travels these pipes...well, except maybe Piranha Plants and Buzzy Beetles, but only in the more populated regions."

"Gee, I'm that much more comfortable," Sonic mumbled.

"Don't worry, Sonic," a pink hedgehog introduced as Amy said, "I'll be right there with you to protect you from all the grime of sewer life."

"...it's not the sewer life I'm worried about," Sonic muttered and finally, reluctantly, he set off down the pipe, followed not after by the other heroes and the final Goomba.

The Goomba was right in that the pipe led almost straight to Bowser's Castle. The heroes found themselves on the other side in a matter of seconds. There was just a minor detail he left out, one he wouldn't have known had he not already been to Bowser's Castle. The castle itself is situated nicely within the volcanic regions of the Mushroom Kingdom, but something was amiss.

The lava that normally came across in rivers was gone. Not a bit molten rock smoldered within the wide expanse of land surrounding the clearly visible castle. Dark clouds hovered above its blackened walls, with lightning striking various parts of the land and even the misshapen towers, which were gnarled beyond comprehension into impossible twists. Nearby was a broken Bowser statue that would have been gargantuan if most of its body had not shattered upon being ejected from the grounds. This was very clearly Bowser's Castle no more.

"This place gives me the creeps," Spyro said as another bolt of lightning struck the remaining platform of the Bowser statue, breaking it apart.

"This is Bowser's Castle?" Sonic asked.

"Was," Luigi corrected. "And no, this is nothing like Bowser's Castle."

"Is it worse than this?" Sonic proceeded.

"Not as unnatural as this, to say the least," Mario commented.

In the meantime, the heroes followed the Goomba trio, who despite leading the group were scared out of their minds, ready at moment to turn around and flee across the barren landscape just to avoid the castle they were now walking towards. The party reached the castle which loomed over them ominously as they observed the lack of water in the moat surrounding the castle. Near the drawbridge was a small tower with a video screen and a red button on top.

"Guess we just push the button then," Mario shrugged, pressing the red button and triggering the device.

The video screen flashed on and revealed another Tygon. This Tygon, however, lacked the wings of its counterpart and appeared to be more of a foot-soldier rather than a messenger. It wore a shoulder pad on the left side of its body with a strap extending from it towards the right side. The hilt of a sword was visible behind its back.

"All visitors must insert their invitations into the slot below before proceeding," the Tygon said with surprising fluency.

Suddenly a door beneath the screen opened up to reveal the slot mentioned previously. Mario inserted the envelope with his invitation as well as that of the Goombas who were too short to reach the slot on their own. A series of whirs and beeps and buzzes occurred before finally the Tygon on screen appeared to reach down and came back up with the invitations in hand. Opening the envelopes, it scanned the letters, looking up to the heroes and then having to adjust the tower to accompany the height of the Goombas just to check on them. Finally, with a nod, the Tygon said, "You all may enter the premises," and clicked off the screen.

Slowly the drawbridge was lowered and the heroes crossed over to the other side accompanied by the Goombas. There were more Tygons like the one from the screen, and only now was it visible that they were wearing some form of ragged pants. Some were brandishing their large swords about wildly while others simply dragged them across the stone floors while still others simply sat around using bits of broken off stone to sharpen their blades. One such Tygon pointed towards a hallway that the Mario Bros. knew led straight to Bowser's throne room. The others followed them down the hall.

As they approached the large double doors, the Mario Bros. halted the advance into the banquet, turned around, and looked at the others.

"Alright, this is important," Mario said. "We have no idea what's behind that door. There could be anything from lava pits to spikes to giant wheels that can crush you if you're not careful; just be careful."

"And why wouldn't we be?" Sonic asked cheekily.

"Just stay close," Mario said, and then he pushed open the doors.

On the other side was a gathering unlike anything they had seen before. There were a number of characters inside the former throne room to say the least, and when they looked towards the doorway, they were not at all entertained with what they saw. There were a great number of them who were simply standing around and chatting about mild things, and all appeared to have some sort of refreshment with them. One fellow dressed in black armor was tall with greenish skin and flaming red hair curled about his head and extending around his face towards his chin. There was another villainous cohort that appeared to be a red egg with long spindly legs covered in black. Aside from these two rather prominent figures was a cast of henchmen scattered about, from robotic guards to creatures of darkness to small brown mushrooms with feet.

"What is the meaning of this?" the tall red-haired man demanded, pounding his fist angrily into the table.

"What are they doing here? And who are the rest of them?" the egg-shaped man asked.

The minions themselves became frenzied. Many started arguing angrily to each other in order to make sense of the events that had transpired while others immediately brought out weapons and prepared to defend themselves. For a while, most of the room was in assorted chaos.

Then suddenly a loud thunderous noise echoed across the chamber, accompanying a breeze that blew through the crowd. For a moment, there was simply silence as everyone looked towards the evident cause of the noise: the doors spread open wide and a man clothed in black, his arms outstretched.

After a moment, the red-haired man walked directly towards this man, calling out, "What are you playing at, Stranger? Why are they here?"

"I too wish to know why we are dining with these goodie-two-shoes!" the egg-man shouted out from where he stood.

The man in black lowered his head, shook it, then raised it back up again as he replied, "Don't you understand? These are my honored guests tonight."

An outcry of agony spread across the chamber. Minions were panicking, their leaders were fuming, and the heroes who were the subject of this topic stood stunned.

"Honored guests?" Sonic said bewildered. "What kind of sense is this?"

"Please, please," the man in black cried out over the hall, "I beg of you, don't make a fuss!"

"You dare to insult us with this filth?" the red-haired man yelled angrily pointing towards the heroes.

"This 'filth,' as you so aptly put it, is best treated as such," the man retorted. "I want them to be treated like the filth you see before you. I want you to treat them just like a discarded napkin or a moldy slice of bread. If this 'filth' is just what it is, then I dare say there is absolutely no reason to even touch them. For this 'filth' before you is being treated in the highest regard, and if they are indeed 'filth,' then what does it make you?"

A looming silence once more hit the hall. The red-haired man glared directly at the man in black, his face contorted with rage. Then suddenly, his face twisted around into a smile.

"Fine," he said. "See how you like it."

Then he turned and resumed his position next to the egg-shaped man. The man in black then walked across the hall and to a large set of doors on the other side.

"Well then," the man in black called out, "without any further ado, let us feast away."

And he opened the doors, revealing a magnificent space occupied by a splendid mahogany table with accompanying chairs and a feast beyond what anyone could hope for. The table was suited enough for a thousand people to sit at, and the food glistened with brilliance under the light of the several chandeliers. The man in black proceeded up to the end of the table where a large throne was placed and sat down upon it as the minions and their leaders simply sat at the other end.

The heroes remained lost for words. They simply stood at the front entrance, astounded by the man in black.

"This is The Dark Stranger?" Sonic asked.

"He seems...different from what I expected," Link replied.

"Let's just sit and eat," Mario said. "We don't know what he wants, but we might as well try and figure it out."

The heroes then tried to find a seat somewhere in the middle of the table, a place crowded with minions already feasting away at the entrees and such. This left only two areas open: the one near the red-haired man and his egg-shaped acquaintance, or the designated area of seating near The Dark Stranger. With no other option, the heroes took their places nearest The Dark Stranger.

A moment's pause between the heroes and The Dark Stranger. It was strange being seated right next to the man who purposely sent a killer messenger to the heroes, who stole Bowser's Dark Soul and rendered him a shell of his former self, and who had taken over the castle of the former tyrant. Not even including the suspicion-

"Well, now, don't be shy," The Dark Stranger said suddenly. "Eat up, be merry, there's nothing to think of, no care in the world."

Dramatically as if to prove his point, The Dark Stranger grabbed a goblet and held it to where his mouth would be and drank out of it. The heroes simply watched, still hesitant to partake in the food that everyone else seemed to be enjoying. The Dark Stranger placed the goblet back on the table and then reached for a turkey leg and sank his teeth into it.

The heroes were still put off after all of this, but a moment or two later their stomachs began to growl. Without anything further, the heroes begin to eat from the table. They plucked bread, ripped apart turkey legs, tossed salads, and drowned their thirst with a unique beverage that tasted different for everyone.

"So," The Dark Stranger began, picking the goblet up again, "how's the food?"

"Not bad," Mario replied dryly.

"Yeah, couldn't be better," Sonic added just as dryly.

"Good, good," The Dark Stranger said, ignoring or naive to their tones. "The chefs in back have been working hard on this stuff for the past couple of hours or so making everything ready for today. I already have their loyalty, so I don't worry about anything tacky like wages or labor unions. The politics of the workplace, I suppose. In fact -"

"Why have you come here?" Link asked abruptly.

For a moment, The Dark Stranger looked at him, then around to the other heroes. They all returned the same knowing look, the look of why. The Dark Stranger sighed, set his goblet back down on the table, leaned back, and pressed his fingers to each other.

"I suppose that's all you really want to know, isn't it?" The Dark Stranger said. "What the big bad villain wants with the world, or in this case worlds. There's nothing wrong with me telling you, of course, except that you would then try and stop me from completing my plan, a futile effort I might add. But yes, I did fuse the worlds together, hence why Ganondorf and Dr. Eggman now sit at the other end of the table.

"They're mere pawns in a game much larger than themselves, as you heroes no doubt know. For them, it's almost a dream come true. Why bother with one silly land or a part of a planet when there are four other worlds just waiting to be conquered? And since you all gathered together conveniently, there's not much stopping them from taking over other lands within those worlds.

"But I digress. After all, you don't want to hear anything more than why I'm doing all of this, and that truth is one you'll have to figure out on your own. I can't just give it away. What I'm after is something big, larger than anything you can imagine. I seek to fulfill a destiny I learned of long ago, and I intend to follow through with it."

"A destiny you learned of long ago?" Spyro asked.

"It doesn't concern you in any regard," The Dark Stranger responded. "There's nothing much else I can do for you. For now, eat up, enjoy yourselves, get to know each other better, and hope for the best as you always do."

And so The Dark Stranger picked up the goblet, raised it in a toast, and drank from it once more. At that moment, an interesting Tygon wearing an apron and a chef's hat approached The Dark Stranger and whispered something into his ear. The Dark Stranger nodded, muttered something back, and with that the Tygon left once more.

"Well, I believe it's time for dessert," The Dark Stranger said cheerfully. "I hope you left some room."

He then stood up and called out to the room of minions, "Gentlemen, ladies, and ambiguous characters, I'm pleased to announce that dessert is on its way."

The crowd went into a frenzied uproar, shocking the heroes immensely. They looked around at each other as The Dark Stranger lifted his goblet into the air once more and called out, "But before we do get to dessert, I would like to make a toast to my guests-of-honor, whom without we would not celebrate this wonderful day!"

The minions surprisingly all cheered and toasted and laughed all the while merrily. The heroes were at a loss.

"I can't believe we're getting such praise," Link said.

"I can't believe I'm getting toasted to by robots," Sonic grumbled.

"And now," The Dark Stranger called out, "the dessert!"

And through the set of double doors where everyone entered came a group of Tygons much like the one who talked with The Dark Stranger not long before carrying out a large platform supporting a tremendous cake. The candles towered above the luscious creamy icing that was spread about all of it, some of it decoratively spelling out, "For Those We Adore."

"Well isn't that nice of them," Spyro said.

The Tygons walked the cake over to a large open area within the room and set it down before bowing and running off. The Dark Stranger seemed pleased with the result.

"And now, as my guests-of-honor," The Dark Stranger said, resuming his auditorial role, "I would like for the heroes to get the first bite out of this cake."

The minions roared with cheers and applause. The heroes looked at each other curiously then particularly at Mario.

"I'd stay on your toes," he mumbled before getting up and heading over to the cake. The others looked at each other, nodded, and followed suit.

The cake was even larger up close, dwarfing the heroes entirely. Link was only just able to reach the top of the first layer, upon which a magnificently large second layer with an elaborate candle was set. Candles surrounded the edge, and overall, the cake looked polished and perfected as though done by master chefs.

"Oh, heroes?"

The heroes looked back at The Dark Stranger, who simply stood where he was, swirling his goblet.

"I hope you do believe me when I say I meant it," The Dark Stranger said. "Trust me, I want you to take a really good bite out of this cake."

A low but mighty grumble caused the hall to tremor. The minions suddenly became eager and excited. The heroes poised ready for battle. The grumble came once more, shaking the table and most of the dishes. Then...

"Was that the cake grumbling?" Sonic asked.

The heroes turned around to find the cake starting to change. The candles on the edges moved around to the sides, intertwining their wicks and extending off of the cake. The cake began to rise up off the ground, supported by thick massive trunks of candle wax. The "For Those We Adore" contorted itself into raging eyes and a slim pair of lips, which seemed to be shut until finally after a bit of struggling the lips opened wide, releasing a terrible roar. Flames towered to the ceiling, and the cake had transformed into a fiendish delight.

"Okay, this is really weird," Sonic said.

"Just another day in our world," Mario replied.

BOSS BATTLE 1 START!

Heroes  
Mario: 31 HP, 10 SP  
Sonic: 33 HP, 11 SP  
Link: 29 HP, 15 SP  
Spyro: 30 HP, 19 SP

Just Desserts  
Just Desserts: 150 HP, 15 SP

Mario punches Just Desserts for 4 dge! Sonic attacks Just Desserts for 3 dge! Link slashes at Just Desserts for CRITICAL 9 dge! Spyro rams Just Desserts for 5 dge!

Just Desserts throws candles at the team! Mario dodges the attack! Spyro dodges the attack! Sonic and Link take 3 dge each!

Heroes  
Mario: 31 HP, 10 SP  
Sonic: 30 HP, 11 SP  
Link: 26 HP, 15 SP  
Spyro: 30 HP, 19 SP

Just Desserts  
Just Desserts: 129 HP, 15 SP

Mario uses the Firehand for 2 SP! Just Desserts takes CRITICAL 9 dge! Sonic attacks Just Desserts for 4 dge! Link slashes Just Desserts for CRITICAL 8 dge! Spyro uses Fire Blast for 3 SP! Just Desserts takes CRITICAL 8 dge!

Just Desserts throws candles at the heroes! Mario takes 4 dge! Sonic sidesteps quickly! Link blocks with his shield! Spyro takes 3 dge!

Heroes  
Mario: 27 HP, 8 SP  
Sonic: 30 HP, 11 SP  
Link: 26 HP, 15 SP  
Spyro: 27 HP, 16 SP

Just Desserts  
Just Desserts: 100 HP, 15 SP

Mario punches Just Desserts for 3 dge! Sonic attacks Just Desserts for 3 dge! Link slashes at Just Desserts for CRITICAL 7 dge! Spyro rams into Just Desserts for 4 dge!

Just Desserts uses 3 SP! He throws a multitude of lit candles into the air towards the heroes! Link puts his shield above his head, protecting him from damage! Mario, Sonic, and Spyro each take 7 dge!

Heroes  
Mario: 20 HP, 8 SP  
Sonic: 23 HP, 11 SP  
Link: 26 HP, 15 SP  
Spyro: 20 HP, 16 SP

Just Desserts  
Just Desserts: 83 HP, 12 SP

Mario uses Firehand for 2 SP! Just Desserts takes CRITICAL 8 dge! Just Desserts becomes enraged! Sonic uses Dash Attack for 2 SP! He hits Just Desserts for 4+5 dge! Link uses Spin Slash for 3 SP! He attacks Just Desserts for CRITICAL 14 dge! Spyro uses Fire Blast for 3 SP! Just Desserts takes CRITICAL 9 dge!

Just Desserts throws candles at the heroes! The heroes all dodge the attack! Just Desserts throws a second wave of candles at the heroes! Mario and Spyro dodge! Sonic and Link take 4 dge each!

Heroes  
Mario: 20 HP, 6 SP  
Sonic: 19 HP, 9 SP  
Link: 22 HP, 12 SP  
Spyro: 20 HP, 13 SP

Just Desserts  
Just Desserts: 43 HP, 12 SP *enraged!*

Mario punches Just Desserts for 3 dge! Sonic uses Dash Attack for 2 SP! He hits Just Desserts for 4+4 dge! Link slashes at Just Desserts for CRITICAL 8 dge! Spyro uses Fire Blast for 3 SP! Just Desserts takes CRITICAL 9 dge!

Just Desserts is enraged! and uses 3 SP! He throws a multitude of lit candles into the air towards the heroes! Link puts his shield above his head to avoid taking damage! Spyro flies about the candles! Mario and Sonic take 3 and 4 dge respectively! Just Desserts uses 3 SP! He throws a multitude of lit candles into the air towards the heroes! The heroes each take 3 dge!

Heroes  
Mario: 14 HP, 6 SP  
Sonic: 12 HP, 9 SP  
Link: 19 HP, 12 SP  
Spyro: 17 HP, 13 SP

Just Desserts  
Just Desserts: 15 HP, 6 SP *enraged!*

Mario uses Firehand for 2 SP! Just Desserts takes CRITICAL 8 dge! Sonic attacks Just Desserts for 4 dge! Link slashes at Just Desserts for CRITICAL 7 dge! Just Desserts is defeated!

END BOSS BATTLE!

The hulking monstrosity tumbled over and fell atop the dining table, crushing a few minions that had not already fled to avoid being squashed by it. The Dark Stranger simply watched the beast's body hit the floor, remarkably passive over the moment. The red-haired man and the egg-shaped man simply watched with some remorse for the creature. The heroes stood their ground, prepared for the next onslaught whatever it may be.

Silence across the hall. Then a lone clap echoed. Then another. And then a cacophony of clapping echoed from a sole source: The Dark Stranger, applauding.

"The saviors of a generation!" he cried encouragingly.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: A Legendary Solution

As the heroes journeyed slowly out of the castle of their newfound nemesis and back to their own home base back at Peach's castle, they were lost in thoughtful silence. Mario wondered of Bowser's condition and if it should ever be mended. Sonic fumed over The Dark Stranger's arrogance, which he saw displayed within his host's applause. Link mused over the villainous banquet, thinking over all sorts of reasons for its taking place at all. And Spyro worried over the worlds, for the safety of not only his own world but that of the others.

What happened after the defeat of the monstrous cake fiend was The Dark Stranger's recognition of the heroes as true warriors and worthy adversaries. A big celebration was given over the heroes' victory, and many other Tygons appeared amidst the crowd to join in the party. The villains who were there were introduced to the heroes in a surprisingly curt manner by The Dark Stranger himself. The red-haired man was known as Ganondorf, and the egg-shaped fellow humbly bowed and revealed himself as Dr. Eggman.

After all of these trivial introductions between the heroes and villains, The Dark Stranger put on a brief show involving a rather talented magician, whom Mario recognized almost immediately as Dimentio, a former associate of one Count Bleck. Something seemed off about the entire act, but as soon as the show was finished, Dimentio flipped out such that nothing could be asked of him regarding his participation. Afterwards, The Dark Stranger kindly asked that the guests vacate the premises, but not without taking with them some of the wonderful king's jewels, taking one each. Naturally, the heroes didn't bother taking anything; Ganondorf didn't bother with it, but Eggman couldn't help but snatch up a few for himself.

And it is at this point that the heroes are now walking back down the forest path, the castle now in sight. Within the courtyard, they arrived to very little greeting save from the princess and her elderly assistant, Toadsworth. It was to them that they spoke of their journey to the castle and of the banquet and the mysterious Dark Stranger.

"What an odd thing to do," Toadsworth mused. "Throwing a party, but with both heroes and villains in it? How peculiar."

"Doesn't really matter," Sonic shrugged. "We've got bigger fish to fry anyway."

"True," Link agreed. "We still need a way of fixing the worlds and returning things back to the way they were before."

"Well good, cause I've been working on the solution!" cried out a familiar fellow.

"Professor Gadd!" Mario responded.

"Yes, yes," Gadd said, "it's me, but now's not the time to chat! Quickly, now, follow me to the lab!"

"The...lab?" Spyro asked, alongside Link shrugging his shoulders. Neither knew of such a place back in their worlds, but Link felt sure he'd at least seen something like it back in his.

The lab itself was filled with unbelievably marvelous machinations and crystal-clear vials and test tubes. Much of the lab consisted of tables littered with such scientific equipment. Liquids of all different kinds of colors, textures, aromas, and the like swirled about the room as the professor led the heroes to the backroom, guarded by a heavy metal door.

After unlocking the electronic lock, Gadd led the heroes into a large area with only a single desk with a single reading lamp set upon it. The walls consisted entirely of shelves and books covering a wide variety of topics; from black holes to volcanic eruptions to the supernatural and the extraterrestrial, there was naught a bit of knowledge left in the world that wasn't already fitted betwixt the shelves.

Gadd walked round to the desk and indicated a certain passage within the book he was studying. "I did a little more research into the legends of old," he said, "when I discovered a rather convenient method of working out our problems."

The heroes peered down onto the page and read out:

"...Of all the unlikeliest of possibilities to arise, the collision of multiple dimensions or universes is among the impossible,  
yet we never doubt the possibility from arising. If the end of the world can happen at anytime, why not the distortion  
of the very mutliverse? For this reason, an artifact was constructed known as the Grand Device.

"This device was built for the purpose of restoring transdimensional interweavings that may occur, and as such is divided  
amongst the universes. Within the worlds, there exists but one gear, hereby referred to as a Grand Gear, that will correspond  
with the Device. Gathering the Grand Gears from all the worlds and applying them to the Grand Device will trigger the appropriate  
reaction, namely the unraveling of the worlds from each other and the restoration of the individual universes as such. Should the  
Gears be used with the Device in such a manner to resolve such a crisis, a new set of Grand Gears will be redistributed throughout  
the worlds once more, such that should the event happen again, then it will continue to have its own solution."

The heroes looked up at the professor and at each other. "So all we need to do is find these Grand Gears?" Sonic asked.

"Don't make it sound so simple!" Gadd protested. "Yes, all you have to do is find the Gears, but think about it! There's only one within each world!"

"Which means what? I don't see a problem," replied the hedgehog.

"It means that there's very little chance of finding the gear in this world alone, much less the ones trapped in our own worlds," Link declared.

"Precisely!" the professor concurred. "We have no indication of where the gears themselves are, nor of how to find or use them when the time comes to do so! We're in a bigger mess than we'd even imagined - with all due respect to what's already happened!"

The party fell silent at this. A solution had been found, yet it was one of impossibly high difficulty. How could they look for something they didn't have the faintest clue as to where it was? There was very little that could be done in a situation such as this. Then Peach asked, "Why don't we ask the Star Spirits? Surely they would know something about this gear."

"It's possible," Gadd replied. "After all, the Star Spirits have been around for far longer than any of us have."

"We could even try and get to the Overthere to talk with Grambi," Luigi added.

"This is true," Gadd said and then began incoherently muttering to himself.

For the three heroes who remained new to the world, Mario had to explain who all these characters were that the others were talking about. Afterwards, everyone joined in, discussing who they could ask about the gear or where they could find the gear. They spoke of spirits and wise old frogs and great beings of great power. They spoke of mountains, of oceans, and of castles long forgot. They talked of everything within the world, and pretty soon those who would otherwise have been unfamiliar with the world they dwelled in became much more aware of it all, and they began talking of similar parts of their own worlds. Pretty soon, the discussion of the gear was pushed aside in favor of listening to the stories of these other worlds.

Things dragged on like this for an hour before a Toad walked in slowly, carrying some sort of book with him. As he approached, the princess took notice of him and nicely asked, "What do you want?"

The Toad stared back, a glazed look over his eyes. He held the book open in front of him and handed it to the princess; as she took the book from his hands, the Toad fainted upon the floor.

"Oh goodness!" Toadsworth remarked dismayed, and the heroes helped in trying to revive the poor Toad. When he finally came about, the Toad appeared groggy and held his head.

"Wha...what happened?" he asked.

"I think we oughta ask the same of you, buddy," Sonic replied.

"I...I don't know," the Toad answered. "I was just wandering Toad Town doing some shopping, and the next thing I know, I'm...here."

"Why that's just maddeningly unhelpful, isn't it?" Toadsworth said. "Oh well, you best come with me. We'll get you some place to rest easy."

As Toadsworth escorted the young Toad out of the room, the heroes drew their attention back to the princess, now simply staring down into the book. The book itself was closed, and in this form Mario recognized it as the Dark Prognosticus.

"How did that Toad get a hold of this?" he wondered aloud, reaching out for the book. The princess however smacked her hand down on the book so that she clamped tightly onto it between both her hands. Mario looked at her curiously as she stared back, horrified, shaking her head.

Mario was taken aback by this uncharacteristic backlash from Peach. She would never do anything like this. Meaning something about this book had truly gotten to her. Mario approached slowly and reached for the book again. Peach held it tighter to herself, but Mario continued to reach for it before finally managing to struggle and pry and free it from her clutches. He looked back at her, then towards the book which had held to a certain page near the end. He opened the book to reveal what was there.

Upon the page was a drawing duplicating the one the heroes saw during E. Gadd's explanation of the ancient legend. Beneath it was a brief description, mimicking what was written beneath the drawing from E. Gadd's lecture. But the second half of the page continued the image, revealing a world that appeared to be blowing apart and a brief description:

Should the enemy unite the darkness  
Then they will bring about an age of darkness  
One with no hope, no light,  
Simply the world shrouded in Darkness.

The worlds in danger of being covered  
Must fix them with the Grand Gears  
And place them within the Grand Device  
Before the end draws near...


End file.
